Process for the protection of textiles



United States Patent 3,109,776 PROCESS FOR THE PROTECTION OF TEXTILES Edward B. Hodge, Terre Haute, Ind., assignor to Commercial Solvents Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maryland No Drawing. Filed Apr. 6, 1960, Ser. No. 20,245 6 Claims. (Cl. 167-84) My invention relates to a method of imparting to textiles protection against the action of noxious organisms such as fungi and bacteria which protection is retained after repeated washing and cleaning operations, and more particularly it relates to a method of protecting textiles by impregnating or coating the textiles with a composition selected from the group consisting of zinc bacitracin and copper bacitracin.

The textile industry has long sought a satisfactory means for protecting textiles against the action of noxious organisms such as fungi, bacteria and insects during periods of storage and use and after repeated washing and cleaning operations which eventually remove the protecting agents previously available. The problem has been complicated by the varying compositions of textiles in use and the widely difierent conditions under which they require protection. For example, the practical utility of textiles protected from bacterial activity even after repeated washings is obvious. The antibacterial properties of such textiles would tend to lessen the liability of body odors due to the bacteria which contaminate untreated fabrics and which thrive upon perspiration and other body secretions. Also, there would be prevention or lessening of the conversion of urea to ammonia in urine contaminated personal wear and especially of diapers worn by infants or under clothing of older people. Clothing made from such textiles would help prevent infections due to pathogenic fungi growing on the skin of the feet, crotch or other areas. Many compounds have been found to give initial protection to textiles, but they have not been universally employed due to the fact that they require either complicated fixation processes or they are easily washed from the textiles by detergents and solvents used in cleaning.

I have now discovered a new type of textile protection agent which is relatively free from the defects of previously available textile protectants in that it can be easily and inexpensively applied to textiles and is not readily removed thereform by detergent and solvent action during normal cleaning.

I have now discovered that compounds selected from the group consisting of zinc bacitracin and copper bacitracin effectively protect textiles against noxious organisms such as fungi and bacteria when the textiles are treated therewith in antibacterial quantities. The compounds zinc bacitracin and copper bacitracin both possess the unusual and unexpected property of adhering so strongly to textiles that they are removed therefrom only with extreme difiiculty even by the action of repeated cleanings with detergents or solvents. The textile can be suitably treated with one of my compositions by placing the textile in an aqueous solution of bacitracin, adding a solution of about 1% zinc chloride or copper chloride, adjusting the pH of the combined solutions with sodium hydroxide to precipitate either the zinc bacitracin or copper bacitracin onto the textile, removing the textile from the solution and allowing the thus treated textile to dry.

The exact quantity of the above compounds to be utilized in treating textiles will vary widely and to a certain extent will depend upon the type of textile in which the material is to be employed and the particular noxious organism from which protection is desired. In general, however, I have found that concentrations as low as 0.05% by weight based on the weight of the textile treated of the above-named compounds are sufiicient to protect textiles. For some requirements, however, concentrations ranging up to and above 2% by weight are desirable. However, I prefer to use concentrations ranging from about 0.1% to about 1% by weight of the above-named compositions.

l have found the compounds zinc bacitracin and copper bacitracin to be safe for use in contact with the skin and even with open wounds. Hence, textiles coated with these compounds are expecially useful where great personal hygiene is required. They are particularly efficacious in the treatment and in the prevention of infections therefore making them especially adapted for use in hospitals and for bandages.

The following examples further illustrate my invention, but I do not intend to be limited to the processes, amounts or procedures disclosed therein.

Example I To test the resistance of fabrics treated with zinc bacitracin, two strips of cotton-duck fabric were placed in an aqueous solution of bacitracin, a 1% solution of zinc chloride was then added and the pH was adjusted with sodium hydroxide to precipitate zinc bacitracin onto the fabric. After sutiicient soaking the strips were drained and allowed to dry. The treated strips contained 0.5% zinc bacitracin by weight based on the weight of the strip. The strips were washed and dried a total of 13 times in an automatic washer using a common household detergent. At the end of the 13th washing and drying procedure one disc 25 mm. in diameter was cut from each of the strips and each disc was placed on a separate dish mm. in diameter, each dish containing 15 m1. of nutrient agar inoculated with 0.1 ml. of the organism M. flavus. The discs were then incubated for 24 hours at 37 C. After incubation it was observed that no organisms were growing on either of the treated discs. One of the said discs had completely inhibited the growth of organisms within 1.7 mm. of the disc while the other disc inhibited growth of organisms within 2.0 mm. of the disc.

Example II To demonstrate the ability of copper bacitracin to pro tect textiles from noxious organisms, the procedure of Example I was followed except that copper chloride was utilized instead of zinc chloride. At the end of the test it was observed that no organisms were growing on either of the discs treated with copper bacitracin. One of the said discs had completely inhibited the growth of bacteria within 2.0 mm. of the disc while the other disc inhibited growth of bacteria within 1.0 mm. of the disc.

Example III Two discs, 25 mm. in diameter of untreated cottonduck fabric were washed, dried and tested following the procedure of Example I. At the end of the test it was observed that organisms were growing in great numbers on the untreated fabric.

Now having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A process for protecting textiles against noxious organisms, said protection being retained after repeated cleaning operations which comprises treating the textiles with at least about 0.05% by weight of a compound se lected from the group consisting of zinc bacitracin and copper bacitracin.

2. A process for protecting textiles against noxious organisms, said protection being retained after repeated cleaning operations which comprises contacting the textiles with a solution containing bacitracin and ions selected from the group consisting of zinc ions and copper ions, adjusting thepI-I of the solution with a base to precipitate at least about 0.05% by weight of a compound selected from the groupconsisting of zinc bacitracin and copper bacitracin and subsequently drying the textiles to remove the solvent.

3. A process for protecting textiles against noxious organisms, said protection being retained after repeated cleaning operations which comprises contacting the textiles with a solution containing bacitracin and :ions selected from the group consisting of zinc ions and copper ions, adjusting the pH of the solution with a base to precipitate onto the textiles from about 0.05 to about 2% by weight based on the weight of the textiles of a compound seleoted'from the group consisting of zinc bacitracin and copper bacitracin and subsequently drying the textiles to remove the solvent.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the compound is zinc bacitracin and the amount of the compound ranges from about 0.1% to about 1% by weight based on the 2 weight of the textiles.

5. The process of claim 3 wherein the compound is copper bacitracin and the amount of the compound 4 ranges from about 0.1% to about 1% by weight based on the weight of the textiles.

6. A textile composition impregnated with from about 0.05% to about 2% by weight based on the weight of the textiles of a compound selected from the group consisting of zinc bacitracin and copper bacitracin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Bacteriological Reviews, vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 46-48 (p. 58 relied on), June 1957. 

3. A PROCESS FOR PROTECTING TEXTILE AGAINST NOXIOUS ORGANISMS, SAID PROTECTION BEING RETAINED AFTER REPEATED CLEANING OPERATIONS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE TEXTILES WITH A SOLUTION CONTAINING BACITRACIN AND IONS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ZINC IONS AND COPPER IONS, ADJUSTING THE PH OF THE SOLUTION WITH A BASE TO PRECIPITATE ONTO THE TEXTILES FROM ABOUT 0.05 TO ABOUT 2% BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE TEXTILES OF A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ZINC BACITRACIN AND COPPER BACITRACIN AND SUBSEQUENTLY DRYING THE TEXTILES TO REMOVE THE SOLVENT. 